Public Speaking

There are many elements to developing good speaking skills. Training courses which use video to record your presentations can give you good feedback on all the facets of your delivery, including your facial expression.

I will always remember the day when I went along to my first business networking event. I had taken the plunge to start my own business working from home and knew that the best way to promote myself was to get out there and meet people face to face. Little did I know that at this particular networking event I would be required to stand up in front of over 30 people all seated around a U-shaped table and introduce myself and my services for a whole minute!

As an effective public speaker, training yourself to improve your speaking voice can be done one step at a time:

Volume

It’s important to use an appropriate level of volume, given the size of the room and audience. If you speak too softly, then you’ll lose impact, that’s if people can actually hear you at the back. Project your voice, so that everyone is included. Conversely, a voice that is too loud can lead to audience overwhelm.

Let’s face it, would you rather see a speaker deliver a talk in a monotone, rooted to the spot, with a blank facial expression, remembering his or her words perfectly?

Or would you rather see someone public speaking with an obvious love or strong interest for the topic, moving dynamically on the stage, making full use of facial expressions and body language, perhaps making a few mistakes here and there?

I used to have an all pervading fear of public speaking. Just the thought of standing up in front of a group filled me with dread.Public speaking statistics show that the majority of people experience nerves when giving a speech. A degree of public speaking anxiety is perfectly normal. After all, speaking in public is like performing, and it’s completely normal to be nervous. You want to do well.